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Welcome to Mexican “muerteadas,” a traditional parade to portray how death can be as joyful as life

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:00 GMT

SAN AGUSTÍN ETLA, México (AP) — Daniel Dávila knew he would become a devil at age 12.He prepares his costume weeks ahead of Day of the Dead celebrations in San Agustín Etla, in southwest Mexico, where families take to the streets on Nov. 1 to remember how death can be as joyful as life.In the state of Oaxaca, where the 33-year-old lives, “muerteadas” are part of a festival that stretches for several nights and locals regard as part of their identity. Each celebration differs from one town to another, but most take off at the main church, where participants and musicians sing to honor their local saints. Afterward, volunteers like Dávila take part in a theatrical representation in which a spiritist, one special character with supernatural capabilities, brings a dead man back to life.Dávila’s role, the devil, is a playful character who tries to lure the resuscitated man into following him. Among other characters are a priest, a doctor and an old man whose daughter is married to the de...

The White House Historical Association is opening a technology-driven educational center in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A White House tour is practically a must-do when visiting Washington, but the experience can leave some guests wondering about spaces they didn’t get to see, like the Oval Office.The White House Historical Association hopes to provide answers to some of those questions when it opens The People’s House: A White House Experience, in the fall of 2024.Situated on three floors of a building a block from the White House at Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street, the $30 million educational center will use cutting-edge technology to teach the public about the storied executive mansion and its history.“This will be a technology-rich, immersive experience where you will actually go into spaces and, due to the miracles of modern technology, those spaces will become White House rooms around you,” Stewart McLaurin, the association’s president, told The Associated Press before a public announcement planned for Friday.The center will feature a large cutaway model of the White...

AP Election Brief | What to expect when Ohio votes on abortion and marijuana

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — For the second time in three months, the national debate over reproductive rights focuses on Ohio as voters decide Tuesday whether to amend the state Constitution to protect access to abortion services.The measure has become one of the nation’s highest-profile contests on the ballot this year and is the latest state-level skirmish over the issue since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.The proposed state constitutional amendment, labeled “Issue 1” on the ballot, would establish the right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions” on matters including abortion, contraception and fertility treatment. It would also allow for abortions to be banned once it has been established that the fetus can survive outside of the womb, unless a physician determines that continuing with the pregnancy would endanger the patient’s “life or health.”Abortion rights supporters have had a sizable fundraising advantage throughout the campaign, accordi...

King Charles III meets with religious leaders to promote peace on the final day of his Kenya visit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:00 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — King Charles III met with religious leaders Friday to promote peace and security in Kenya during the last day of his four-day trip. The king spent a rainy Friday morning touring Mandhry Mosque, East Africa’s oldest mosque, before meeting with Christian, Hindu, Muslim and African traditional faith leaders in an Anglican cathedral in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa. The region has seen an increase in radicalization and militants kidnapping or killing Kenyans.Kenya celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence in December after decades of British rule. The two countries have had a close — though sometimes challenging — relationship since the Mau Mau revolution, the prolonged struggle against colonial rule in which thousands of Kenyans died.Although he didn’t explicitly apologize for Britain’s actions in its former colony, Charles expressed earlier in the visit his “greatest sorrow and the deepest regret” for the violence of the colonial era, citing the “abho...

How Toronto lost its war with raccoons. Badly.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:00 GMT

One hundred years ago, raccoons were so rare in Toronto, that a mysterious creature rummaging in a garbage bin warranted a newspaper report. Today, raccoons are basically the city’s mascot. The war Toronto waged on raccoons spanned decades, but it’s abundantly clear that it’s over. The raccoons won, the people lost, and now we just try to protect our garbage and hope the mess isn’t too bad.Amy Dempsey covered raccoons at length for The Toronto Star , she says that part of the problem for citizens dealing with raccoon infestations, is that the city has essentially abdicated all responsibility for dealing with the issue. “New York City has a rat czar and I kind of think that Toronto needs a raccoon czar,” says Dempsey.So how did Toronto become the raccoon capital of the world?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify. You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.

RioCan REIT records Q3 net loss of $73.5 million amid fair value losses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:00 GMT

TORONTO — RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust says fair value losses left the company with a net loss of $73.5 million in its most recent quarter.The Toronto-based real estate company says the third-quarter loss compared with a net income of $3.2 million it reported a year prior.It attributed the loss in the period ended Sept. 30 to fair value losses of $199.5 million on investment properties that reflect current market conditions resulting from rising interest rates.Funds from operations totalled $135.4 million, or 45 cents per diluted unit, a slight increase from $134.8 million a year ago, or 44 cents per diluted unit.RioCan’s committed occupancy rate for the quarter was 97.5 per cent, up from 97.3 per cent a year ago.Retail occupancy hit 98.3 per cent, up from 97.8 a year prior.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:REI.UN)The Canadian Press

Astronaut Ken Mattingly, who flew in Apollo 16 and played a key role in Apollo 13, dies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:00 GMT

(WHNT) — Former NASA astronaut Ken "TK" Mattingly, who commanded two space shuttle missions, has died. Mattingly died Tuesday at the age of 87, said NASA administrator Bill Nelson, noting that the country had lost one of its heroes. "NASA astronaut TK Mattingly was key to the success of our Apollo Program, and his shining personality will ensure he is remembered throughout history," Nelson said. Multiple fire departments fight Limestone County field fire Born in Chicago on March 17, 1936, Mattingly was raised in Florida. He graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1958.His career began in the Navy, where he received his pilot wings in 1960. He eventually joined the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School and was chosen by NASA for the astronaut class in 1966.Nelson said Mattingly not only showed exceptional piloting skills but also contributed to the Apollo Program.Even before flying in space, Mattingly worked in the astronaut sup...

Dean's Reviews: 'What Happens Later' and 'Priscilla'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:00 GMT

Check out Dean's Reviews on the new films 'What Happens Later' and 'Priscilla.'Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Worlds of Fun and Six Flags Amusement Parks announce merger

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:00 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The owners of Worlds of Fun and Six Flags Amusement Parks announced their official merger agreement on Thursday.Cedar Fair, which operates Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun, and Six Flags Entertainment Corp. will combine for a total of 42 parks across North America. Disney’s 100 year anniversary celebration coming to Kansas City According to a press release from Six Flags and Cedar Fair, the two companies came to a $2 billion deal, making them a powerhouse in the theme park industry.The president and CEO of Cedar Fair, Richard Zimmerman, will serve as the CEO of the combined company, which will operate under the name Six Flags. “Our merger with Six Flags will bring together two of North America’s iconic amusement park companies to establish a highly diversified footprint and a more robust operating model to enhance park offerings and performance,” Zimmerman said.“Together, we will have an expanded and complementary portfolio of attractive assets and intellectual ...

Missouri getting millions to combat rural area doctor shortage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Missouri is getting millions of dollars to help combat the doctor shortage in rural areas.Dr. Kathleen Quinn leads the Rural Scholars Program at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. The program encourages students from rural areas of the state to pursue medical school. A $16 million grant will help fund scholarships for students accepted into the program. Since it started nearly three decades ago, about 50% of students are now practicing physicians in rural communities in the state. Florida kidnapping victims rescued from downtown St. Louis hotel Then you get a health care provider and then a business will come into that town because there's a provider. Every physician in a rural community brings in about $1.3 million of revenue for the town.The grant money will also be used to expose students to healthcare careers through the school of medicine's mobile training facility, which has life-like patient simulators.